Using basic elements of earth, air, fire, and water, these artisans employ time-honoured techniques to craft captivating works. Far beyond a matter of form and function, their art deserves a closer look.
Kiln’em Softly
A believer in handcrafted items that elevate the everyday, Debbie Gilmer turns out stylish utility prices that any design (or latte) lover is sure to reach for again and again. Her South Mountain studio, Gilmer Clayworks, is lined with minimalist kitchenware and dining accessories: bowls, butter keepers, honey pots, vases, and our current obsession, her charcoal-toned faceted pour-over coffee mug. Its beauty and simplicity make it a versatile countertop star.
Hot Hand
Adept at centuries-old firing techniques, clay whisperer Brenda Sutton Mader produces chromatic textures through a centuries-old Japanese process called raku using a wood-fired kiln. If you’ve always wanted to try your hand at wheel throwing or are looking to improve your handbuilding technique, she’ll teach you her ways. Backed by 30 years of experience, she offers personal instruction to novice and advanced ceramists alike at her Alexandria-based studio.
Pretty Print
Inspired by antique ceramics she explored while journeying through China, master potter Diane Sullivan puts a modern spin on popular transferware. She updates the elaborate and colorful storytelling characteristics of this vintage pottery with graphic dahlias, birds, dragonflies, and swirling music notes. We’re buzzing about her sweet Bee Ware collection, black and white mugs, teapots, berry bowls, and tubs that belong atop any gift list.
Sacred Earthenware
Katsitsionni Fox is an artist, educator, and filmmaker who makes decorative and utilitarian pit-fired clay pots in the tradition of her women ancestors. Under the banner of Lifegivers Pottery, her round-bottomed vessels often feature hand-painted effigies of beings in nature and the Haudenosaunee Creation story to honor the vitalizing energy of Mother Earth. We’re mesmerized by her intricate carvings of grandmother moon, crabapple blossoms, and sweetgrass braids.
Featured image: Gilmer Clayworks
